Safe Routes To School Grants For 10 New Hampshire CommunitiesNearly $1 Million Awarded To Promote Walking And Bicycling Options

Nearly a million dollars in federal reimbursement grants will help 10 New Hampshire communities enable and encourage school children to walk and ride bicycles between home and school.

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation announces the results of the Round 5 general grants cycle under the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program. The program is geared for children in kindergarten through eighth grade, including those with disabilities, who live within approximately two miles of school.

The largest awards are going to Pittsfield - $260,668 for sidewalks and traffic calming, and Troy, which was awarded $249,500 for a sidewalk as well as educational and incentive items.

Littleton has been awarded $206,680 for sidewalk reconstruction and traffic calming.

"When I visited Littleton when their program was just beginning, I was impressed to see walking school buses and rolling bike trains converge on the elementary school from multiple directions," observed John W. Corrigan, SRTS coordinator for NHDOT. "This community is an excellent example of how the initiative of volunteers and local school and municipal leaders can make a huge difference in getting kids out of private motor vehicles in favor of safe walking and bicycling."